Marble Orchard Ghost Walks make a spirited October

It's that time of year again: The leaves
are falling, the cool crisp of autumn is in the air, and the Marble Orchard Ghost
Walks are setting the stage for the October season of spooky festivities.

Taking place promptly at 7 p.m. each
Saturday at the Peace Garden, 476 Center St., the Marble Orchard Ghost Walks
enable people of all ages to venture past Lewiston's cheerful disposition into
its dark, gloomy past.

With a historical aura circa the 1800s,
the Marble Orchard Ghost Walks consist of more than sheer fright, but add a
dose of history into their sinister concoction. Renowned for accurate stories
with a twist of frightful fun, these 90-minute tours are not a typical "haunted
hayride," but rather an accessible, entertaining means of diving into the
depths of both the good and the bad of Lewiston's past.

"Lewiston really and truly is haunted.
But it's also rich in history, and we're proud that, through the Ghost Walks,
people can come and experience not only good theater, good history, but also
learn of graveyard etiquette - like how to read tombstone engravings, bizarre
medical practices, while hearing stories about those buried alive and being
introduced to form emotional attachments to individuals that lived in the
1800s," said Eva Nicklas, artistic director of the Lewiston Council of the
Arts, which sponsors the walks. "Lewiston is bloody, creepy, spooky and misunderstood
in its past and hidden present. Here, the unknown is discovered and taught to
those that dare venture on our walks.

"We have about 11 actors this year that
are solely volunteering their time because they love to do what they do, and
each of our members are incredibly talented. They have the capacity to memorize
their scripts in a mere week, and fully become immersed into their character's
past so that it becomes their alter ego. This program here through the Lewiston
Council of the Arts is by far the most loved orchard walk performance in
Lewiston, and because this show has been around for about 15 years or so, what
initially began as an experiment now thrives off of dedicated research to each
character and the display of vivid history throughout the entire presentation."

Nicklas fills the shoes of Sally Tryon,
who as a child survived the War of 1812. She has re-enacted the strong-willed
Lewiston woman with ease since the start of this program. Tryon, a lady who
disobeyed the word of her husband, has come back to life with added depth
through the artistic crafting of Nicklas, who established a more flirtatious
and gossip-indulgent version of Tyron's modest life.

Niagara Frontier Publications' very own
Sue Mikula Campbell has given her artistic expertise to the Marble Orchard
Ghost Walks, portraying Lucy Williams Hawes, a young woman who came to Lewiston
in the early 1800s. Hawes knew of the Underground Railroad in Lewiston, and
documented her historical accounts through her diary. As a versed, award-winning
journalist herself, Campbell brings a modernistic livelihood to Lucy's stories
and sweeps in spooky sentiment throughout her acting to help create the perfect
October-story feel.

She has written several ghost stories for
the Ghost Walks over the years, and this year performs the perennial favorite
"The Big Black Dog." Another favorite, usually performed by another character
is "Body and Soul."

"It's really interesting, that the
majority of the people we're playing are actually buried in the cemetery where
we perform," Campbell said. "To top it off, our Marble Orchard Ghost Walks
family has endured rain, snow, sleet and hail together, since we perform rain
or shine."

Through the bonds formed during those
nights, the characters have learned to improvise off of one another's energy,
and always love when the crowd is engaged in the performance. Although the
performances are geared more toward a young-adult to adult crowd, all who come
to witness the Ghost Walks will be exposed to a plethora of knowledge and will
definitely go home learning something.

"It's fun to perform - fun to engage the
emotions of the audience and stir a fright in those witnessing our ghost walk
for the first time, and we all love to do what we do and see the smiles, the
laughs, and the tears in our audiences," Campbell said.

Actors have been told at the end of walks
that the Lewiston walk surpasses that of those held in other places, including
Williamsburg, Va.

With a blast from the past entwined with
occurrences of the present, the Marble Orchard Ghost Walks are a frightening,
engaging and educationally fun way to spend a Saturday night this October.

Find out what happened to James Going
after he died. Hear about Morgan the Mason, who may still haunt the Frontier
House, or the Tuscarora legend of Skadotti, the "Screaming Killer of Dogs."

Admission is $15 for adults, $8 for
children under the age of 12, and for LCA members. For more information about
the Marble Orchard Ghost Walks, call the Lewiston Council of the Arts at
716-754-0166 or visit www.artcouncil.org.